$2.5 million secured by Stadelman puts Riverview back on solid ice

At a press conference celebrating the start of a $6 million renovation, State Senator Steve Stadelman praised a public-private partnership that formed to prevent the Riverview Ice House from closing. As part of that effort, Stadelman secured $2.5 million in state funding toward repairs and upgrades the Rockford Park District couldn't afford on its own.

“I want Riverview Ice House to remain an important tourism destination for our region, a vital economic anchor for our urban core and a popular recreational option for families,” Stadelman said. “Making the upgrades necessary to keep Riverview open protects millions of dollars in public and private investments that have fed our downtown renewal over the last 20 years. Without a prosperous downtown, long-term economic growth for the entire region is in jeopardy.”

Park District officials announced plans in 2020 to close Riverview and consolidate ice operations in Loves Park, but the group Save Riverview Ice House collected more tha 1,000 signatures of people who opposed to shutting down the 46-year-old downtown rink where bronze medalist Janet Lynn once trained for the Olympic games. Business owner Peter Provenzano and his wife, Heather, pledged $1 million over 10 years toward operational expenses at Riverview as part of the effort.

Stadelman speaks at reproductive rights rally

State Senator Steve Stadelman addressed a crowd of 200 who gathered at Davis Park to protest the recent Texas law that bans abortions as early as six weeks and contains no exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape, sexual abuse, incest or for pregnancies involving a fetal defect incompatible with life after birth.

SCOTT P. YATES / ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

Stadelman: Millions of dollars in road projects coming to Rockford area

Updates made to Interstate 39/U.S. 51 over Kilbuck Creek in Ogle County and US. 20 over the Kishwaukee River in Cherry Valley were finalized in June thanks to the $29.7 million funding. Other projects scheduled to be completed this year are:

• Installation of storm sewers, bike path, signals, lighting on Business U.S. 20 (East State Street) from Buckley Drive to Mid-American Drive. Scheduled to end in November.
• Demolition and replacement of the 20th Street bridge over U.S. 20 with a structure that has two lanes of traffic and a separate multiuse bicycle and pedestrian path. Scheduled to end in October.
• Resurfacing of Illinois 70 from the Pecatonica River in Winnebago County to Safford Road in Rockford. Scheduled to end late fall.
• Road pavement patching on U.S. 20 from Falconer Road to Simpson. Scheduled to finish in October. Resurfacing again in 2022.

Under the six-year Rebuild Illinois plan, the Illinois Department of Transportation is investing up to $33 billion to improve more than 3,535 miles of highway and 9 million square feet of bridge deck.